Chapter 80: Despair

Ever since the world received mana and the rifts began to appear, it is known that demonic humans have always existed, those who make deals with demons in exchange for power.

These individuals are present everywhere and, whenever they exist, they cause chaos in their wake. That is the price to pay for their powers: destruction and betrayal.

Since I stopped the sacrificial ritual in the catacombs, I could notice that this and perhaps the rest of the kingdoms have demonic humans deeply rooted in their structures and at this moment, in the midst of a struggle, they are the most dangerous to face.

The worst thing about a betrayal is that it never comes from the enemy, but from those you consider allies. It is difficult to judge if the person who has been by your side is a demonic human, unless, like me, you have a special ability to detect them. But this is not a common ability.

Demonic humans infiltrate humanity and destroy it from within, sometimes without anyone noticing. They have arguably caused more damage than beasts, monsters and demons throughout history.

I knew this scenario would be no exception. That's why, when I heard what the Blood Moon members who entered the labyrinth with us had planned, I didn't kill them right away. Those guys were no fools; as much as they followed the demons, they knew that, in the labyrinth, they had to be on the right side to clear it.

The problem was how to do it. With their reduced ranges, something that had never happened before, they had their problems, but they knew how to make the most of what they had. The moment they managed to locate a demonic human in this scenario, they began their own way of clearing the maze.

What I was able to find out was that the nobleman they were following was a demonic human, the same one who was fighting with Hayato for the position of leader. And the one who had influenced this was the priestess we stopped earlier, a demonic human as well.

One could say that the nobleman was obviously in cahoots, but there was no proof, and the interrogation of the priestess yielded no results.

Besides, he had too much influence in the kingdom to arrest him without any proof, that's why Hayato always kept him close, as they say keep your ally close and your enemies closer so he could keep an eye on him.

By proving that they were demonic humans the blood moon subjects, they became subordinates of someone powerful sharing their knowledge and more things to gain his trust, but they had no plans to work with him until the end.

They knew that they could never clear the labyrinth by doing this and that they might die if they failed. The reason is that, in other mazes, death is a reality, but there is also the possibility of giving up, something that does not exist here.

So they planned to gain trust by proving themselves to be demonic humans and betray them when the time was right, gaining more achievements and increasing their chances of clearing the maze.

It wasn't a bad plan and upon hearing it I approved of it that would save locating the remaining demonic humans, thanks to Lili, who was keeping an eye on them, I was one step ahead of them. And I planned to let them complete it even if I had to support them.

I was on top of the first wall, watching what was about to happen.

******

The night was close, darkness hung over the battlefield like a blanket of calm, amidst the landscape in chaos, several figures from the three camps could be seen moving stealthily in the rear of the enemy camp. The air was thick with tension, which foreshadowed the end of this temporary calm.

Suddenly, without warning, around the first wall, some runes that had gone unnoticed began to glow with an ominous light. The glow was a dark purple, interspersed with flashes of blood red, and it grew in intensity with each passing second and connected with each other. The atmosphere became oppressive, as if the night itself had become conscious and hostile.

Blood and bodies, whether of demons, monsters or soldiers, began to be sucked into the now gigantic magical circle that accumulated great masses of dark energy at the back of the three camps.

With each passing second, the energy became more menacing, like a storm about to erupt. The stench of burning flesh and congealed blood permeated the air, making it almost unbreathable.

"kekeekekeke...!"

"Hahaha!"

The laughter of the demons echoed off the walls, enjoying the macabre spectacle. Their voices were harsh, charged with malice and cruelty. As they laughed, the energy continued to build, and the soldiers of the three armies, along with the now wide awake mercenaries, ran desperately in an attempt to flee.

The panic was palpable, faces contorted in fear, eyes wide open, reflecting the sinister light of the runes.

The bravest were running in the direction of the energy, hoping to stop it, but all their efforts were in vain. The energy had already reached such a high level that just being near it could cause harm. The mana radiated with such intensity that it burned the skin and the simple act of breathing became torture.

The laughter of the demons echoed even louder, stripping the soldiers of any hope they had left. The colossal balls of black and reddish energy began to move slowly in their direction, threatening them with imminent death.

At that moment, even some of the men who were buffed by war closed their eyes in resignation, awaiting their fate. Tears rolled down the cheeks of some thinking about the fact that they would not be able to return to their families and loved ones.

And then, in the midst of despair and fear, three explosions echoed in the night.

"BOOOM!"

"BOOOM!"

"BOOOOM!"

The ground vibrated with the force of the explosions. The soldiers and mercenaries who awaited their fate and pain with their eyes closed began to open them, looking around.

Everything seemed normal, but those who kept their eyes open were looking towards the wall where the siege was taking place. The wall was destroyed on three sides, allowing free passage.

Dust and debris flew in the air, creating a thick fog that obscured vision. The sound of falling rocks and the creaking of broken wood were deafening. Everything froze, and silence flooded the place, only interrupted by the occasional sound of a piece of wall finally surrendering to gravity and falling to the ground.

Soldiers and mercenaries looked at each other, their faces a mixture of disbelief and relief. Some feared that the sight of the wall's destruction was just an illusion. But it wasn't. The breaches in the wall were there, offering the opportunity to end this battle faster, reviving their morale.